Sliding rear doors have become a popular design feature in vans and minivans. Sliding rear doors of minivans typically do not have an armrest for the rear passengers due to the packaging problems associated with door movement. When the door is opened, the clearance between the inner door trim and the outer body of the vehicle may be reduced to approximately 20 millimeters or less in many vehicle designs. This clearance simply does not provide enough space for an operative armrest. It is not desirable to increase the clearance between the inner door trim and the outer body of the vehicle because larger, heavier tracking components and door components would be required to accommodate such movement. Such structure would add weight and cost to the vehicle design.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,036 describes an armrest operative for use with a sliding door wherein the armrest is pivotally connected to the vehicle body and is engaged by a component of the sliding door to automatically pivot the armrest to a vertical, non-use position when the door is open to allow ingress and egress of passengers. However, this design is somewhat bulky and may not be aesthetically pleasing. Additionally, this design would be difficult to reconfigure for use in a minivan as a result of the seat and door positioning, and the fact that minivan doors are slid on the outside of the vehicle body, as opposed to the interior of the frame as taught in the '036 patent.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an armrest for a rear sliding door of a vehicle, such as a minivan, which accommodates minimal clearance between the door trim and the vehicle outer body when the door is opened.